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Graduation and Completion Statistics

On-Time Graduation Rate by District - Class of 2014

This map indicates the graduation rates by school district for the 2013-2014 school year. Click to enlarge, then drag your mouse over a school district and click to view the district graduation rate and special considerations.

The four-year on-time graduation rate for the Class of 2014 was 77.3 percent, which amounts to a 0.4 percentage point increase from the 2012-13 rate of 76.9 percent. The four-year formula, adopted in 2009-10, defines “on time” as only those students who graduate from high school four years after transitioning from eighth grade.

It is important to note that this new formula yields a rate that cannot be compared directly with data prior to 2009-10. With the old system, students who took longer than four years to graduate were factored into the formula calculating a graduation rate. Under this four-year “on-time” formula, a student is assigned an unchanging anticipated year of graduation (AYG) when they transition from eighth grade.

The anticipated year of graduation is assigned by adding four years to the year that a student transitions from eighth grade. In other words, the formula anticipates that a student transitioning from eighth grade at the end of the 2011 school year and, subsequently, entering ninth grade in fall 2011 will graduate with the Class of 2015. For more information on the change in calculation rate, please see the link below.

Class of 2014 Graduation Rate Calculation

Number of students receiving a regular diploma within four years of transitioning from 8th grade during the 2013-14 school year

DIVIDED BY

(Number of students transitioning from 8th grade at the end of the 2009-10 school year plus number of transfers in minus number of verified transfers out)

NOTE: In the interest of tracking student success, students are assigned an Anticipated Year of Graduation from the time that they successfully complete eighth grade. Therefore, while most students return to school after eighth grade, Colorado districts are also held accountable for students who never attend ninth grade.

NOTE: Beginning in 2006-07, Colorado school districts could not report students as transfers unless an official request for the student’s educational records is received from the school in question. If this request is not received, the Colorado district is required to report the student as a dropout.

Class of 2014 Completion Rate Calculation

Four-Year “on-time” Completion Rate =

Number of students receiving a regular diploma plus those completing with a non-diploma certificate or GED within four years of transitioning from 8th grade during the 2013-14 school year

DIVIDED BY

(Number of students transitioning from 8th grade at the end of the 2009-10 school year plus number of transfers in minus number of verified transfers out)

The completion counts and rates include all students who graduate on-time with a regular diploma plus students who complete on-time with a GED or non-diploma certificate. It is important to note that graduates are included in the completer count and rate, therefore the completion counts and rates for any school or district will be greater than or equal to the graduation rate.

The calculation still utilizes the “on-time” formula. Under this four-year “on-time” formula, a student is assigned an unchanging anticipated year of graduation (AYG) when they transition from eighth grade. The anticipated year of graduation is assigned by adding four years to the year that a student transitions from eighth grade. The four-year formula defines “on time” as only those students who graduate from high school with a diploma or complete with a non-diploma certificate or GED four years after transitioning from eighth grade.

Special Considerations

Small districts: 43 of Colorado's 185 school districts had a 2014 graduation cohort base (students who could have potentially graduated as part of the class of 2014) of 15 or fewer students.

ASCENT (Concurrent Enrollment): 45 Colorado school districts were approved to offer the Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment (ASCENT) program in 2013-14. 27 of those school districts reported serving at least one student under the program. ASCENT students are not counted as on-time graduates because they complete a fifth year of public high school while taking higher education coursework.

GED recipients and other non-graduating completers:The 2014 on-time completion rate for the state is 2.2 percentage points higher than the on-time graduation rate. The completion rate includes all graduates plus students who receive a GED or certificate of completion.

Alternative Education Campuses (AECs):In 2014 there were 81 Alternative Education Campuses located in 40 local education agencies (districts, BOCES and CSI). Over 95% of the students served at AEC schools are considered at high risk of dropping out. AEC in the map = A district that operated one or more schools with an Alternative Education Campus designation.

Free and reduced lunch eligibility

In 2014, 42.2% of the students received free and reduced lunch meals. The free and reduced lunch eligibility percentage is based on the K-12 free and reduced lunch information reported in October of each year.